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One of the most amazing things about Heat is the scale of the film; it is nearly three hours long and packed to bursting with mind-blowing visuals. It seems one of Michael Mann's main priorities was to make a film with a dreamlike feel to it, to portray LA as a dusty oil-painting on which complex characters could play out their lives. One of the main themes is the similarity of the career criminal and the street-wise cop. It is fascinating to find yourself really feeling for DeNiro's tragic bank-robber, a man of philosophical merit who realises he's stuck in a life of crime he doesn't want to lead. Pacino's cop is less easy to sympathise with, but he too leads an in-escapable life of guns and crime. What really stands out is the climax. On the whole, Heat has to be the best cops n' robbers film ever made, indeed, one of the best films. An epic, wonderful, sad, adrenaline-fuelled exercise in scale and grandeur.

This has to be Besson's most brilliant film to date; it is beautiful, poetic and stylish in equal measures. Natalie Portman is terrific, showing acting ability beyond her 14 years in the film, and Reno displays his effortless charm and aptitude in playing a tragic character. Besson achieves something great in making the story amazing to watch, using emotive camera angles and imagery, coupled with Eric Serra's heart-stopping soundtrack to excellent effect.